Nothing new under the sun: transformational leadership from a historical perspective

Transformational leadership theory is a relatively recent entrant into the realm of management thought. In fact, the majority of this literature has been published in the past 15 years. That being said, the ideas that are central to transformational leadership are not necessarily new. Many of these constructs can be found in the writings of earlier management theorists. The literature indicates that transformational leadership can positively impact on organizational outcomes and employee satisfaction. Without an understanding of its historical roots, however, transformational leadership risks becoming nothing more than the latest “buzzword” for enhancing organizational performance. To fully understand and appreciate the paradigm, one must trace the development of the transformational factors from a historical perspective.

[1]  Mary Parker Follett.  The new state , 1918 .

[2]  Walter O. Einstein,et al.  Transforming Leadership : Matching Diagnostics to Leader Behaviors , 2001 .

[3]  J. Howland.  Xenophon's Philosophic Odyssey: On the Anabasis and Plato's Republic , 2000, American Political Science Review.

[4]  J. Steyrer,et al.  Transformational Leadership and Objective Performance in Banks , 1998 .

[5]  Tapio Takala.  Plato on Leadership , 1998 .

[6]  Saundra J. Reinke.  The Essentials of Leadership , 1998 .

[7]  J. C. Wofford,et al.  A field study of a cognitive approach to understanding transformational and transactional leadership , 1998 .

[8]  Kevin B. Lowe,et al.  Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic review of the mlq literature , 1996 .

[9]  R. Keller.  ‘Transformational’ Leaders Make a Difference , 1995 .

[10]  Daniel Sankowsky,et al.  The charismatic leader as narcissist: Understanding the abuse of power , 1995 .

[11]  Rick D. Hackett,et al.  Further assessments of Bass's (1985) conceptualization of transactional and transformational leadership. , 1995 .

[12]  K. Nair.  A Higher Standard of Leadership: Lessons from the Life of Gandhi , 1994 .

[13]  B. Bass,et al.  Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership , 1993 .

[14]  Francis J. Yammarino,et al.  Transformational leadership and performance: A longitudinal investigation , 1993 .

[15]  Jane M. Howell,et al.  Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control, and support for innovation: key predictors of consolidated-business-unit performance , 1993 .

[16]  Harold Koontz,et al.  Management: A Global Perspective , 1993 .

[17]  Bruce J. Avolio,et al.  The ethics of charismatic leadership: submission or liberation? , 1992 .

[18]  Peggy C. Kirby,et al.  Extraordinary leaders in education: Understanding transformational leadership. , 1992 .

[19]  Joseph M. Gasper,et al.  Transformational Leadership: An Integrative Review of the Literature , 1992 .

[20]  J. Conger.  Inspiring others: the language of leadership , 1991 .

[21]  Francis J. Yammarino,et al.  Adding to Contingent-Reward Behavior , 1990 .

[22]  B. Bass,et al.  Transformational Leadership: Beyond Initiation and Consideration , 1990 .

[23]  B. Bass.  From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. , 1990 .

[24]  Francis J. Yammarino,et al.  Transformational Leadership and Multiple Levels of Analysis , 1990 .

[25]  Jay A. Conger,et al.  The dark side of leadership , 1990 .

[26]  Scott B. MacKenzie,et al.  Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers' trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors , 1990 .

[27]  Thomas J. Sergiovanni.  Adding Value to Leadership Gets Extraordinary Results , 1990 .

[28]  G. Yukl.  Managerial Leadership: A Review of Theory and Research , 1989 .

[29]  Peter J. Frost,et al.  A laboratory study of charismatic leadership. , 1989 .

[30]  Ronald J. Deluga.  Relationship of Transformational and Transactional Leadership with Employee Influencing Strategies , 1988 .

[31]  Jay A. Conger,et al.  Charismatic Leadership: The Elusive Factor in Organizational Effectiveness , 1988 .

[32]  Walter O. Einstein,et al.  Transformational Leadership in a Management Game Simulation , 1988 .

[33]  B. Bass,et al.  Superiors' evaluations and subordinates' perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership. , 1988 .

[34]  David A. Waldman,et al.  Leadership and outcomes of performance appraisal processes , 1987 .

[35]  Bruce J. Avolio,et al.  Biography and the Assessment of Transformational Leadership at the World-Class Level , 1987 .

[36]  B. Bass,et al.  Transformational Leadership and the Falling Dominoes Effect , 1987 .

[37]  D. Wren.  The evolution of management thought , 1987 .

[38]  Noel M. Tichy,et al.  The Transformational Leader. , 1988 .

[39]  B. Bass.  LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE BEYOND EXPECTATIONS , 1985 .

[40]  D. Yates.  The politics of management , 1985 .

[41]  P. M. Podsakoff,et al.  Effects of leader contingent and noncontingent reward and punishment behaviors on subordinate performance and satisfaction. , 1982, Academy of Management journal. Academy of Management.

[42]  Bernard M. Bass,et al.  Stogdill's Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research , 1982 .

[43]  E. Shils,et al.  Charisma, Order, and Status , 1965 .

[44]  Talcott Parsons,et al.  Max Weber, the theory of social and economic organization , 1948 .

[45]  C. Barnard.  The Functions of the Executive , 1939 .

[46]  L. Gilbreth.  The Psychology of Management , 2003 .